CAA sending wrong signals to 17 cr Muslims, says Cong veteran Ashwani Kumar, bats for consensus

Expressing deep concern over violence erupted during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in several parts of the country, senior Congress leader Ashwani Kumar on Friday urged the Centre to roll-back the new citizenship law until a broad consensus is reached in the country.

Speaking to ANI, former Union Law Minister Kumar said: "I will urge the Central government with all humility to reconsider legislative aspects of the Act and roll it back at least till the time that the country does not reach a broad consensus. Nobody is against preventing illegal immigration but at the same time we cannot bring legislation that divides the nation and creates fear among our own citizens."

"The whole country was rocked by the step, which appears unconstitutional. All these developments are very unfortunate. I think the time has come to see whether a democratically elected government can bring the legislation that goes against the sensitivity of the entire nation," he said.

The Congress leader alleged that the CAA is sending "wrong signals" to 17 crore Muslims of the country.

"This is a divisive Act, which is sending wrong signals to 17 crore Muslims of India. This will create a situation that will become impossible for the government to control," said Kumar.

As protests over the CAA intensified across the country on Thursday, several parts of the country were under lockdown with heavy police deployment and snapped internet services.

Today's protest at Jama Masjid in old Delhi is the latest in a series of such demonstrations against the CAA, where the police are using drones to monitor the situation.

The Delhi Police have deployed personnel along with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in and around the Jama Masjid area to maintain law and order here.